Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Paris

Paris is a mecca for fans of old buildings and monuments, history, art of any kinds. It is impossible to write about everything the city offers. Below, you may find only few interesting places to visit during a weekend.

Content

Basilica Sacré-Cœur

Montmartre and Place du Tertre

Cemeteries in Paris

Eiffel Tower

Les Invalides

Notre-Dame Cathedral

The Louvre

Opera Garnier

And many other interesting places

Basilica Sacré-Cœur

It was built on the Montmartre hill in 1914 after Franco - Prussian War. French industrialists have fulfilled their promise. They promised to build a basilica if Paris would not be touched by the war. Close to the basilica is a metro station Abbesses, line 12. Cable railway operates up to the hill.

Basilica Sacré-Cœur

Montmartre and Place du Tertre

In the second half of the 19th century, numerous of artists settled in Montmartre. They have created a lot of art there. At that time Montmartre has also became a part of the Paris. The artistic spirit is still present in this district. Especially on Place du Tertre street artists offer to paint a portrait, usually a caricature. Many famous artists lived here, including Fryderyk Chopin, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh. The district is quite touristy, but still the dinner in the area of Place du Tertre costs about 10-20 euro. It is an average price in Paris.

Place du Tertre

Not so far is Pigalle. In past it was a famous place known for sexual services and brothels. Nowadays there are shops with musical instruments and the well known theatre Moulin Rouge.

Moulin Rouge

Cemeteries in Paris

Tourists in Paris don't visit only monuments, arts, theatres. They visit also cemeteries. It is very popular, because hundreds of famous people are buried here. Not only French, but people from all over the world.

Eiffel Tower

Without any doubts, this is the most recognizable symbol of Paris. The tower was built in 1889 for the world EXPO exhibition. Twenty years later, the tower was about to be dismantled. The tower's creator Gustave Eiffel couldn't accept that. That's why he set up a meteorological and astronomical laboratory in the tower. Finally the tower was saved by the invention of a wireless telegraph. The antenna was mounted on the top. During the First World War the tower was a perfect place for antenna to communicate with army at the border with Germany.

The Eiffel Tower at night

The tower's height is not constant. Depends on the temperature it may vary up to 18 cm. Officially, it is assumed that the current height is 324 meters including the antenna. Currently, the price to go to the top floor is 19 - 25 euro. The ticket can be bought online. It will save a lot of time, because the queue is huge during the day. Entry cost to lower floor is cheaper, 10 - 16 euro depends if we want to pay extra for an elevator or choose stairs.

The Eiffel Tower

Les Invalides

As the name suggests, the palace was built for war veterans and invalids. It was built in 1676. The monumental church was added in 1706. Currently, apart from the home for war veterans and elders, several museums are located here: museum of military history of France, museum of army, museum of French army, museum of military models and museum of modern history. In the undergrounds and the tombs of the church are buried honoured servicemen. Mostly generals and admirals. Napoleon Bonaparte rests here.

Les Invalides - The Church

Notre-Dame Cathedral

The Cathedral got famous after a novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" of the French writer Victor Hugo. The temple was founded on the island at the Seine river in 1345. It was built for 180 years. It is worth taking a closer look at the both towers. They are not identical. The Cathedral is open for tourists, but you will stand in multi-hour, very long queue. In the summer the concrete place in the front of Cathedral is full of sun, so you should prepare accordingly.

Notre-Dame Cathedral

The Louvre

This is a huge museum. They have collections and arts from every part of the world, for example sarcophagus of pharaohs from Egypt, African art, monuments from Asia, unlimited number of paintings, sculptures, etc. The museum is so huge that it is not possible to see everything in one day. In high season the queue through the main entrance, the famous glass pyramid is extremely long. The Louvre also has many side entrances that are usually less crowded. To save some time, it's good to buy a ticket before on the Louvre website.

The Louvre pyramid

Unfortunately, this world class museum has no descriptions in english for its exhibits. Signs are also not so well marked. It's very easy to get lost in this palace. What's more, if you are interested in a specific work of art that is in the museum and it's not as famous as Mona Lisa or Venus de Milo it may be very difficult to locate it.

Work of Art in Louvre

Opera Garnier

In past, the National Opera was located here. When the national orchestra moved out, the name of the building was changed to Opera Garnier. Currently, only ballets performances take place in that building. However, it is a nice place for a visit, because of its architecture and rich interiors. The main hall is designed for 2200 visitors and 450 artists on the stage.

Opera Garnier

And many other interesting places

It's impossible to write about all attractions of Paris. Above there are only few interesting propositions to visit. There is also a known Arc de Triomphe, both the historic one and the new one in modern district of La Défense. Being in France, you shouldn't forget about the rich cousin, cheeses and wine.